the one thing I might never understand....

[Cosmopolitan]

We are about 3 weeks out from a very much needed cruise vacation. Honestly, it could rain every day and I would still enjoy the whole trip. I am looking forward to the total "away" feeling that only a cruise can bring. I am looking forward to no email, no cell calls, no messages, no dishes, no housework, and most importantly, I am looking forward to time with my family.

 

So, I will never understand how someone can come back from a cruise with a list of complaints about the most silly things. The dining room doesn't always serve things I personally like, but SO WHAT? I can nibble on new things and grab something in the buffett later.

 

 

**hops off soap box**;)

 

You go girl...so true. Never met a cruise I didn't like.

The "family" vacations are the BEST!

 

Life is great if we are happy with our glass half-full and ignore the "small stuff":)

[fin]

Someone just suggested you call yourself the Stepford Cruisers .....

[JenDalessan]

Someone just suggested you call yourself the Stepford Cruisers .....

 

LOL. You are kinda cute. Don't confuse me with a person who doesn't have an opinion. I am very opinionated. As I get older I have learned not to take myself so seriously.

 

Now, why not join our club? There is plenty of room. Feel the love....

[Cosmopolitan]

Someone just suggested you call yourself the Stepford Cruisers .....

 

LOL LOL...sound like that came from my DH:D

[MonaCK]

Stepford? Because I like to sit back and enjoy my vacations and not let the little things bother me? Ha!

 

Again .. .I say...

 

HA!

[runnerandme]

fin, that is too funny..I was trying to come up with something like the halo society but yours is so much better.:D

[JenDalessan]

fin, that is too funny..I was trying to come up with something like the halo society but yours is so much better.:D

 

How about the Sunshine Cruisers? :D :D

 

Life is too short to get all upset about nuttin'

[Toyz711]

my DH just laughed.

besides, he is as bad as i am...

when we met, he told me he didn't want to go to any foreign counties.

he was this nice guy, didn't drink, didn't party...but he didn't want to travel. that was a major strike against him. in 27 years, he had come full circle...now he doesn't want to stay home.

if i am a stepford wife and he's a stepford husband, i would say that's perfect match. (but i perfer the "pollyanna" title...it's sweeter)

you should read the review he wrote, that we sent in to the local paper. he's more of a NCL cheerleader then anyone on this board :D

i hope this thread spreads to some of the other boards, no one should "dread" their next trip.

[CanadianTwosome]

Someone just suggested you call yourself the Stepford Cruisers .....

 

Oh no, that would never do! If my memory and interpretation serve correctly, the 'Stepford Wives' were robots controlled by people who thought their idea of 'perfection' was the only 'right' one... I think our club is quite the opposite - we're not affected at all by what 'other' people think - we don't care what they wear, what they like or don't like, and certainly not what they think of the food!!

 

Check out some of my other posts and you'll find I'm anything but a mindless robot... 'opinionated' is an understatement!!! :p

 

I guess it was inevitable that someone would look at our little club and deem us 'mindless robots' simply because we choose not to be complainers. I wonder if I can send my body to the shop... it could use some repairs. :eek:

[CanadianTwosome]

fin, that is too funny..I was trying to come up with something like the halo society but yours is so much better.:D

 

Well that wouldn't do either... nobody in their right mind would ever give me a halo!!! :p (and I wanna stay in the club!!)

[Cosmopolitan]

Well that wouldn't do either... nobody in their right mind would ever give me a halo!!! :p (and I wanna stay in the club!!)

 

Can "tarnished" halos join the club?

 

Anyway, you started the thread...I think that makes you president of the club:D

[CanadianTwosome]

Can "tarnished" halos join the club?

 

Anyway, you started the thread...I think that makes you president of the club:D

 

I wish I could take credit, but I can't. JenDalessen started the thread, and was nominated as recording secretary by Tomk3212 when he suggested the club (also nominating Cathi as president). I certainly do agree with all of it though!!

 

Maybe it was the 'tarnishing' of our halos that helped us to be happy with what we have... if we all thought we were perfect, maybe we'd have different perspectives... :) (my apologies for assuming I'm not the only one here whose halo is not pristine... :p )

[Cosmopolitan]

I wish I could take credit, but I can't. JenDalessen started the thread, and was nominated as recording secretary by Tomk3212 when he suggested the club (also nominating Cathi as president). I certainly do agree with all of it though!!

 

Maybe it was the 'tarnishing' of our halos that helped us to be happy with what we have... if we all thought we were perfect, maybe we'd have different perspectives... :) (my apologies for assuming I'm not the only one here whose halo is not pristine... :p )

 

You're right...JenDalessen did start the thread...what a great mom she is.

You're "enlightening" posts made me think it was you.

 

I polish my halo with baking soda and boiling water...sparkling clean...my halo is silver, not gold, so it works well;)

 

I'm working toward the "gold"....something to strive for:D

[boeckli]

) Life is just too short to care about trivial things that I have no control over. :)

 

Life is great if we are happy with our glass half-full and ignore the "small stuff":)

 

What a refreshing thread !!

I would like to join the club as well please ...

 

Some posters' negative thoughts on their just ended cruise may be due to 'PCD' (post-cruise-depression) I think ;) - I have no other way of explaining how some people can nitpick on just about anything

A bit of patience and tolerance towards your fellow human beings goes a long way :)

[GROOVERS]

GREAT POST! Kudo's, Kudo's....Alcalades, Alcalades!!!!:D :D :D :D

[janiceah]

How great is this thread and I couldn't agree more. How fun would a cruise be with all of us on it!!! You know we've take lots of vacations (this will be our first cruise though) and I keep getting jumped on because I shouldn't be commenting on people's negative comments when I've never cruised. But, I will go on this cruise with the same attitude I have on any vacation. We're so lucky to be healthy enough and fortunate enough to take this trip. It will probably be 10 degrees and 10 inches of snow when we leave Minnesota. We will get to be with my Brother and SIL and meet tons of great people. We will be on a beautiful ship with tons of fun stuff to do.

When we've gone to Mexico was there restaurants that weren't great, you bet. Was our room always perfect, no. Did we have bad service, sure. Did we even think twice about that once we came home. No. We still had a great time. I guess I don't understand why a cruise line is any different. Maybe I'm missing something. Plus, if you didn't have a great time post a review and then let it go. Why would you keep posting about it, what really are you trying to accomplish. My two cents and thank you for starting the thread, it's great.

[canadiangirltoo]

I LOVE this positive thread - thanks to Jen for starting it and to everyone else to contributing their (positive) thoughts! Count me in the club as well - I echo what a number of you have already said: a week of not having to cook, clean, or make beds and without pagers, cell phones, and fax machines, cannot possibly be bad. We're looking forward to our Majesty cruise in just over 2 weeks and plan on enjoying every minute of it!

[TTown Traveler]

Anything in life is what you make it… I like to think of myself as a positive person, and I have yet to experience a ‘bad’ vacation. That isn’t to say that everything has always gone well, though. We were on the recent 11/30 sailing of the Pearl that had the outbreak of the Noro Virus and numerous negative postings here. DH and I traveled with our best friends to celebrate 25th wedding anniversaries for both of us. Yes, the NoroVirus was rampant :eek: , and there were many ‘inconvenient’ restrictions in place because of it. Yes, we found some of the entertainment not to our tastes. Yes, the food was not always the best we had ever had. Yes, the service was sometimes lacking. Did we come back vowing to never cruise NCL again? NO!! We all agree that this was the best cruise vacation we had ever taken! Everything was not perfect (obviously, no rose colored glasses here…lol), but we enjoyed seeing new places, experiencing new activities, and had a blast spending nine days living a life of luxury (we don’t have full time maids, cooks, etc. at home!) and enjoying time together as friends. They only ‘bad’ thing about our vacation was coming home to an ice covered Midwest after nine days in the sunny Caribbean!!

[newmexicoNita]

I don't mean to sound critical and I hope it doesn't come out that way.

 

We are about 3 weeks out from a very much needed cruise vacation. Honestly, it could rain every day and I would still enjoy the whole trip. I am looking forward to the total "away" feeling that only a cruise can bring. I am looking forward to no email, no cell calls, no messages, no dishes, no housework, and most importantly, I am looking forward to time with my family.

 

So, I will never understand how someone can come back from a cruise with a list of complaints about the most silly things. The dining room doesn't always serve things I personally like, but SO WHAT? I can nibble on new things and grab something in the buffett later.

 

I guess I also don't understand the need for pizza, burgers and ice cream and how this can affect some people's cruise. Those are pretty mainstream and easy to aquire items. Whem I am on a cruise I want some steak and lobster. I want gourmet items that I never have time to make at home (as if I know how).

 

I don't mean to offend. I am from NY and pizza is a food group here. It's the last thing I want on vacation.

 

I have never been on a bad cruise. I don't think it's because I am special, I don't have the cruise fairy has a special touch for me. I think I just go on vacation with an open mind and embracing everything that vacation means- relaxation, no chores, and family. I wish more people would go with this mind set.

 

**hops off soap box**;)

Jen, you will have a great cruise cause you have a good attitude about vacations. I have always thought the same about "comfort foods" I hardly vacation to sample pizza, ice cream etc, if fact sometimes I don't even try those types of foods.

 

Vacations are an entire experience, not just eating, size of room or cabin, and so one. I too have never been on a really bad cruise, not great were a couple of them, but never have I experienced such a let down that I wouldn't cruise xxx line again. Maybe some of us are just to easy to please.

 

Nita

[FundyGirl]

Great topic Jen!

 

I think we should all stop for a minute, especially at this time of year, and be thankful for how fortunate we are to even be able to cruise...!!!

 

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone....!!!!

[ute_fan]

What a wonderful thread, Jen! I can still remember being absolutely sure I was going to hate my first cruise on the old NCL Sea because of all the negative comments :rolleyes: , but instead I found it's the best form of vacationing in the world.

 

Was it perfect? No -- but guess what, neither is my real life. I'd be honored to join your club too!

[maurick]

I was once on a cruise where they literally had no activities. It was cruise from New York on the Regal Empress, and at the end of the trip, they condemned the line for unsanitary conditions in the kitchen. Did I ever sail on the Regal Empress again? Uhm, no. But you know something? I had some great laughs, as my mom and I sat around a closed casino because we were too close to land to have it open. And as we stopped in Martha's Vinyard for something like 3 hours. And as we went to St. John, New Brunswick at night,l when everything was already closed, so all there was to do was walk around a closed mall. ;)

 

So we sat around a closed casino, and told jokes. And I got to meet the sister of Sammy Davis Junior. And it made me appreciate the other cruises I've been on so much more. :) I was with my mom. On vacation. What more could I ask for? :)

 

We were on this ship at last 3 tiems. My kids fare was 99 each. the ship was clean andn food good when we went. Ship was old but had fun. Had a real good Egnlish guy doing majic shows. Spent a night talking to him at a bar Fond memoris.

[hollywoodnc]

I don't mean to sound critical and I hope it doesn't come out that way.

 

We are about 3 weeks out from a very much needed cruise vacation. Honestly, it could rain every day and I would still enjoy the whole trip. I am looking forward to the total "away" feeling that only a cruise can bring. I am looking forward to no email, no cell calls, no messages, no dishes, no housework, and most importantly, I am looking forward to time with my family.

 

So, I will never understand how someone can come back from a cruise with a list of complaints about the most silly things. The dining room doesn't always serve things I personally like, but SO WHAT? I can nibble on new things and grab something in the buffett later.

 

I guess I also don't understand the need for pizza, burgers and ice cream and how this can affect some people's cruise. Those are pretty mainstream and easy to aquire items. Whem I am on a cruise I want some steak and lobster. I want gourmet items that I never have time to make at home (as if I know how).

 

I don't mean to offend. I am from NY and pizza is a food group here. It's the last thing I want on vacation.

 

I have never been on a bad cruise. I don't think it's because I am special, I don't have the cruise fairy has a special touch for me. I think I just go on vacation with an open mind and embracing everything that vacation means- relaxation, no chores, and family. I wish more people would go with this mind set.

 

**hops off soap box**;)

 

Hey JenDalessan...

I'm a first timer and WILL go on other ships for variety. You folks are the kind of people that I enjoy cruising with.

 

On another NCL thread, I saw a ***** post how she hated her cruise, all because her bf couldn't find CHOCOLATE MILK!? She even comprised a list of different complaints to spew on the 2nd day!? She appeared hell bent on finding issues so irrelevant, well... I had to bash her for her stupidity!

I responded to this imbecile, and in short, told her to keep her "Prissy ass" at home!

You can usually see how arrogant a person is when they start off with: "Me and my bf..." This is a self centered, "I want room service", arrogant kid. She also couldn't spell!

Of coarse, there are those other imbeciles who agreed with the moron, and decided to label me as a "One post wonder" & "Troll".

 

On another thread, (I just returned from 12/8-12/15 SUN cruise) I made it a point to mention that all cruisers have to do is be tolerant and show the same respect, as they want to receive. The service by the crew will be far more more superior, than if you treat the crew like crap.

 

My cruise exemplifies this, being that I was started to be called by my first name when certain individuals saw me! Out of 2000+ people on board, I was touched just by that recognition!

 

Every time a waiter or busboy approached to drop off or pick up a plate, I responded with a respectful Thank You Sir or Mame. A smile usually ensued.

 

There is NO REASON why any crew member should be treated as a maid or a slave.

 

Like you, I decided to go on this cruise to "Get away from it all", by leaving my problems at home, and to enjoy myself...my cruise was not only pleasant for me and my cruise mate, but made the crew strive harder to please/accommodate when they saw me!

 

As the saying goes: "You attract more bees with honey, than vinegar".

The above example clearly shows how accurate the saying is.

 

Every time I saw somebody struggle to do something, I offered to assist. When I spilled some coffee on the counter, and asked for a rag...

Their common response: "No that's OK...you're on vacation."

 

Yet, the act of showing any sort of assistance and displaying a respectful attitude, was returned to me when I appeared early for excursions, some crew members recognized me, and looked the other way (making me the first to exit the ship on two excursions no less!).

Room service was expedient, and anything ordered was delivered within minutes!

The simple act of wiping up my coffee spill, complimenting the crews hard work, and a cheerful heart felt good morning, allowed me to eat earlier even before the Garden Cafe (NCL SUN) opened.

 

On the second day of our cruise, and just after passing Cuba, the winds were picking up, and the seas became rough. Passengers scrambled to find cover. Towels and deck chairs were flying about. The crew made an effort to collect towels and tie down those chairs. I assisted those crew members on the observation deck, by tying the loose towels on the railing (so they don't blow out to sea) and then assisted them with the deck chairs, so that no one (including myself & cabin mate) got injured.

 

While this was happening, I saw one IDIOT passenger, kick a chair out of the way, so that he could pass to get out of the wind!? He couldn't move it with his hand, but instead KICKED IT, as if "How dare that chair crossed my path". The chair ended up on its' side...he still proceeded! This shows just how inconsiderate and arrogant people can be. He's probably on Cruise Critic, bashing that his cruise was ruined based on this fact, and that the crew was nowhere to be found while chairs were blowing about.

 

I hope this shows all that, if you show the working people the respect and complimentary attitude that they deserve, you will receive the same treatment via perks and specialized service.

 

A simple "Hi", "Good Morning" and "Thank You" will make anyones' cruise a more enjoyable experience.

[tomk3212]

I had originally suggested the name of "Low Maintenance Cruisers Club" because it seemed to me that the whiners/complainers we hear from here seem to need a lot of...well, "maintenance"... for want of a better term. For instance:

 

1) After the 1st dinner the waiter MUST know what I'm drinking & have it waiting for me before my fanny hits the seat!! :eek:

 

2) EVERY crew member MUST smile and be FRIENDLY to me, no matter what! :mad: It also doesn't matter if I happen to be in a bad mood & am taking my bad day out on YOU! I"M on a cruise & YOU are working for ME!

 

3) EVERY meal I eat must be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!! That's how I cook at home & that's how I expect it to be when I'm cruising...:rolleyes:

 

You get my drift I'm sure. Since JenD started this thread if she want's to call us the "Sunshine Cruisers" I think that would be great!! We just want to know what ships you're all going to be sailing on in the next 2 years so we can join you!!

 

Tom & Eileen

 

PS We nominate "Canadian Twosome" (AND their Canadian Girl) as V-P. So as "officers" the nominations now are:

 

Toyz711 - Cathi: President

Canadian Twosome - VP

JenD - Recording Secretary

 

We need a Treasurer! Any nominations? :)

[lgfromdg]

Hi Jenn - I've been out of town for a few days and just saw this thread. Thanks for starting it. Just like the rest of you, I am so tired of hearing all these petty complaints. I think the biggest problem for the whiners is that they expect everything to be perfect on "their" cruise and when it isn't they are going to make someone pay for it. News Flash - there's not much in life that's perfect; there are so many things that are out of our control. And if you can't learn to make the best of every situation, you are dooming yourself to a life of disappointment. To me, just being able to afford to go on a cruise and get away from everyday life is such a blessing. I'm not going to waste one minute of my time being miserable.

 

Call me a Pollyanna or a Stepford Wife or whatever, but as long as you're calling me to a vacation, I'll be there with a smile on my face.